OAR has played one big6 team this tournament

[Tryblot]

How is it tainted? Because Canada choked?

If Canada choked, then USA must have been an absolute embarrassment.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

If Canada choked, then USA must have been an absolute embarrassment.

USA wasn't expected to even play for a medal...

 

[Oddbob]

Canada had it really easy in 2002 beating a weak Finland then Belarus and a good but not great USA team.

In 2002, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Fin's, Czech's, US all had NHL level talent and an equal chance to win. This Olympics, Canada and the US in particular sent players who couldn't keep a regular job in the NHL and some of them weren't even anything special in the AHL. Not even close to the same thing. Not taking anything away from Germany, good for them doing well, but you aren't going to say this is most talented field of hockey teams ever assembled on the World Stage. In a normal NHL involved Olympics, no offense, but we aren't talking about Germany at this point.

 

[Oddbob]

USA wasn't expected to even play for a medal...

Most were not expecting either Canada or the US to do anything in this tournament. Canada had a team of 10th liners in the NHL and the US was even worse. I think Sweden probably dropped the ball a bit, as they had some pretty good players on their team comparable to other teams involved.

 

[Peiskos]

It's not our problem that no-one else has good enough players. It's not a best-on-best tournament but there is nothing tainted about Olympic gold.

You can attempt to rationalize it all you want, the reality is a potential gold for OAR or Germany in an Olympic tournament without the best Canadian, Swedish, Finnish, etc etc players doesn't mean as much as an Olympic Gold with everyones best players there.

Like it or not but hockey purists will always look back and say "yea but the worlds best players were never there sooo"

Olympic hockey gold best vs best tournament > Olympic hockey gold best of the rest tournament.

 

[Tryblot]

USA wasn't expected to even play for a medal...

Was Canada? Both teams had shitty teams.

 

[Ingvar]

You can attempt to rationalize it all you want, the reality is a potential gold for OAR or Germany in an Olympic tournament without the best Canadian, Swedish, Finnish, etc etc players doesn't mean as much as an Olympic Gold with everyones best players there.

Like it or not but hockey purists will always look back and say "yea but the worlds best players were never there sooo"

Olympic hockey gold best vs best tournament > Olympic hockey gold best of the rest tournament.

And I should care because..? Blame the billionaires from not even your country that forbid you to show off in the only relevant sport you're good at.

 

[Peiskos]

And I should care because..? Blame the billionaires from not even your country that forbid you to show off in the only relevant sport you're good at.

Well you see now you're just making things up, Canada is 3rd in overall medals at these Winter Olympics with 29 medals, second to only the Germans with 30 and the beastly Norwegians with 38. Clearly Canada is good at a variety of winter olympic sports not named Hockey. I don't follow.

All I'm saying is don't use the results of this tournament as a barometer for anything. No need to get mad.

 

[Ingvar]

Well you see now you're just making things up, Canada is 3rd in overall medals at these Winter Olympics with 29 medals, second to only the Germans with 30 and the beastly Norwegians with 38. Clearly Canada is good at a variety of winter olympic sports not named Hockey. I don't follow.

All I'm saying is don't use the results of this tournament as a barometer for anything. No need to get mad.

Why should I be mad? We're winning gold medal game. And I don't make things up, there is exactly 0 sports besides hockey in Winter Olympics that get a mass following outside Olympics - that's why I call them irrelevant.

Fun thing: it's only NA fans that talk about this tournament being a barometer of anything. It's like you're jealous someone can enjoy it but you can't.

 

[Peiskos]

Why should I be mad? We're winning gold medal game. And I don't make things up, there is exactly 0 sports besides hockey in Winter Olympics that get a mass following outside Olympics - that's why I call them irrelevant.

Fun thing: it's only NA fans that talk about this tournament being a barometer of anything. It's like you're jealous someone can enjoy it but you can't.

I'm Canadian, and a hockey fan. Believe me when I tell you this I have absolutely nothing to be jealous about.

 

[Ingvar]

I'm Canadian, and a hockey fan. Believe me when I tell you this I have absolutely nothing to be jealous about.

Then why are you wasting your time telling Russian fans how we should feel about this game?

 

[Peiskos]

Then why are you wasting your time telling Russian fans how we should feel about this game?

I was just stating the facts about the relevance of this tournament without the best players there. You can feel whatever you want to feel.

 

[Ingvar]

I was just stating the facts about the relevance of this tournament without the best players there. You can feel whatever you want to feel.

Was 2015 Cricket World Cup relevant as a tournament? Do you often state facts about relevance of different tournaments? Or (it's only my guess) there was a specific reason you chose to focus on 2018 Olympic hockey?

 

[Peiskos]

Was 2015 Cricket World Cup relevant as a tournament? Do you often state facts about relevance of different tournaments? Or (it's only my guess) there was a specific reason you chose to focus on 2018 Olympic hockey?

I'm focusing on 2018 Olympic Hockey because it's a hockey tournament devoid of the worlds best hockey players. It's pretty much equivalent of playing the World Series of Poker without Kings and Jacks and Aces.

The assumption that a gold in the 2018 Olympic hockey tournament is on par with a gold in the 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 Olympic hockey tournaments is simply wrong.

That's my opinion, you're free to view it differently.

 

[Ingvar]

I'm focusing on 2018 Olympic Hockey because it's a hockey tournament devoid of the worlds best hockey players. It's pretty much equivalent of playing the World Series of Poker without Kings and Jacks and Aces.

The assumption that a gold in the 2018 Olympic hockey tournament is on par with a gold in the 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 Olympic hockey tournaments is simply wrong.

That's my opinion, you're free to view it differently.

And, pray tell me, who besides you holds that assumption? Do you often argue with yourself?

 

[stampedingviking]

You can attempt to rationalize it all you want, the reality is a potential gold for OAR or Germany in an Olympic tournament without the best Canadian, Swedish, Finnish, etc etc players doesn't mean as much as an Olympic Gold with everyones best players there.

Like it or not but hockey purists will always look back and say "yea but the worlds best players were never there sooo"

Olympic hockey gold best vs best tournament > Olympic hockey gold best of the rest tournament.

Just like they did before 1998?

 

[stampedingviking]

I was just stating the facts about the relevance of this tournament without the best players there. You can feel whatever you want to feel.

It's an opinion, not a fact.

 

[stampedingviking]

Well you see now you're just making things up, Canada is 3rd in overall medals at these Winter Olympics with 29 medals, second to only the Germans with 30 and the beastly Norwegians with 38. Clearly Canada is good at a variety of winter olympic sports not named Hockey. I don't follow.

All I'm saying is don't use the results of this tournament as a barometer for anything. No need to get mad.

How many would you have got if the Russian team hadn't been decimated? Does it devalue Canada's medals?

 

[Peiskos]

How many would you have got if the Russian team hadn't been decimated? Does it devalue Canada's medals?

Umm have you not followed the Winter Olympics at all over the years? Canada is a winter Olympic powerhouse and typically finishes top 5 in medals year after year.

Russia has a documented history of a culture of doping and cheating. Hence OAR, if this were to happen to any other country the shame and embarrassment would be through the roof, with Russia it isn't though because people expect that kind of stuff from them. Don't mean to offend but it's the truth.